Rust on my new Khukuri??

R

R.J.Jones

Joined
Mar 8, 2011
Messages
14
I just got my brothers new M43 today, it is just what he would want. Although I think there might be rust on the tip, as well as rust spots along the face of the blade on both sides. I need to know what to do about this, I can't give him a new khukuri that has rust holes in it.

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How do I fix this?
 
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpjim/5516972526/" title="IMG_0043 by CPJim, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5058/5516972526_78e6d34bc6.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_0043" /></a>


<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpjim/5516975546/" title="IMG_0046 by CPJim, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5091/5516975546_22c2961368.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMG_0046" /></a>
 
that is just mild surface rust, its harmless

you could get rid of it by rubbing the blades with an old T-shirt (sit down, enjoy some music and rub the nice new blade you bought, this method will take time) without touching the finish, or if you have polishing agents that will work too, much more quickly, then when done polishing put a couple drops of oil on and admire your reflection in it

scott-brite pads work and so does fine grit sandpaper- but these will dull your finish

or you could just let it be, the blade wont rust holes unless you leave it outside for a year, and eventually it will patina
 
Thank you for the refreshing info. Will rubbing it get rid of the small pits? or do I need the grit to get those out
 
just rubbing it isn't really gonna do much.

a metal polish will take the surface rust/discoloration off, but those pits will stay until you take off some metal.

not really a problem if they're going to be used - they will disappear through eventual sharpening. if they're going to be on a shelf for display, I would inquire about an exchange, as it's not really something the average person is equipped to fix properly.
 
I've decided to take this one in stride. I'm going to keep this M43 for myself..... It has character, not to mention I suddenly want one for myself. Catchin' the fever!

I will E-mail Yangdu about it, and ask her if there is another M43 in stock matching the one I got today. If so then i will purchase another for my brother, hoping this one will be blem free.
 
You can use a pre-1980 penny to take the rust off without damaging the finish. Scotch brite will work but will change a magic stone finish to a matte finish. Also, get a metal polishing paste, like Mothers or Flitz, if you want to keep the finish bright. They will usually leave a protective coating on the steel after use.
 
i was the exact same way when i received my first real kuk. i was nit picking it to hell and finding everything i could wrong with it and giving myself reasons not to like it. a year and some change later and i have hacked down a full size (about 8" thick) hard white oak tree with it and its been a staple in all of my woods clearing and dead-fall processing since i moved back to the country.
 
I'm sorry, but for all the greatness that is an HI khuk, why would they get a pass on delivering the same great quality product to all that order? It's not nit-picking to expect the same quality that 99% of others get.

I would expect a simple email to yangdu would have had this fixed up without any problem.
 
wrxguyusa said:
I'm sorry, but for all the greatness that is an HI khuk, why would they get a pass on delivering the same great quality product to all that order? It's not nit-picking to expect the same quality that 99% of others get.

I would expect a simple email to yangdu would have had this fixed up without any problem.
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i would only if it was a functionality flaw, or major amounts of pitting and say a badly rolled or chipped edge. if he is going to simply beat this thing to crap, why bother. its going to lose its polish once he starts taking it to some wood and then if he wants to bring the polish back he has to sand and buff it anyways, which would eliminate the pitting. my kuk is just a user. i dont have it for show and its probably my number one used knife. i know i have removed some of the original steel cleaning it up and removing massive scuffs, but i let it patina naturally, only using rem-oil to protect the blade. not trying to argue or anything, but just saying, IMHO, depending on what your using it for, sending it back would be a waste of time.
 
seanmizusmc said:
i would only if it was a functionality flaw, or major amounts of pitting and say a badly rolled or chipped edge. if he is going to simply beat this thing to crap, why bother. its going to lose its polish once he starts taking it to some wood and then if he wants to bring the polish back he has to sand and buff it anyways, which would eliminate the pitting. my kuk is just a user. i dont have it for show and its probably my number one used knife. i know i have removed some of the original steel cleaning it up and removing massive scuffs, but i let it patina naturally, only using rem-oil to protect the blade. not trying to argue or anything, but just saying, IMHO, depending on what your using it for, sending it back would be a waste of time.
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But if you spend $170 on a new knife, you'd expect there to at least not to be rust on it.
 
It's personal, we're all different, but yes, you would 'expect' it to be rust free, but if it isn't???? For me, depends upon the degree of rust and what my intentions are. Mine will be a 'user', thus the Villager fit and finish - I personally don't care about a nice mirror shine and light surface rust and light pitting on a chopper. But if I was going to start a display, that might be different. I also understand where the blades come from, the people that make them, the conditions that they are made under, and what that $170 does, etc.... So, for me it would not be a 'deal-breaker', but it might be for someone else - and that's fine with me too. Now, if it was to a degree that it affected performance, eg. heavy pitting weakening the blade edge or creating a ragged edge, or a bent blade, for me, those would be deal breakers, but maybe not for someone else.
 
True but I'm betting if you would have simply sent a email to Yangdu it would have been taken care of in less time than it took you to post this thread.
I'm a nit picker too, I like things to be as close to perfect as possible but I also give the seller a chance to make things right before yelling foul on a open forum.
That Kurkri was shipped from Nepal to Reno to you, a change in humidity, some acidic woood or leather and in a few days or a week and a carbon steel kurkri can rust pretty badly. It probably wasn't pristine but it may not have been all that obvious when it was last handled by Yandu.
 
Well as I said, I am going to keep this one for myself. It calls to me personally, the beauty of it is striking. It also has a bit of character like me, not perfect, and that makes it all the better. I am so satisfied with the overall quality of the blade, I am going to purchase a different M43 for my brother's gift. His does need to be shiny, sparkley and beautiful. I completely understand why there might be small amounts of rust due to shipping such long distances. And for myself this is no problem, I just bought this particular one as a gift. I"m glad to see we have such strong opinions out there in the forum, I can rest easy knowing you are all so knowledgeable and willing to help.

Thanks Guys
R.J.
 
RJ has a great attitude and is definitely welcome to inquire about rusting on his new blade -- especially as a first-time buyer. HI khuks are so incredibly different from production and even custom knives because each is forged with ptimitive methods for absolute functionability. Glad you like your M43 and welcome again. I wish I had a brother like you!
 
The wooden scabbard's moist caused the rust problem during shipment transit. If the rust is not gone completly then send it back to HI and I will send a replacement. I want our custmer to be 100 percent happy wiht their Khukuri.
 
I have had a few kukries arrive with small rust spots. I used Simichrome metal polish and took care of the problem in minutes. Someone on the forum recommended Simichrome and it does work well, especially to touch up the mirror finish if I scratch it during sharpening or use.

I have been using Renaissance Wax to keep the rust away when storing khuks in the scabbards. This was also a great recomendation from the forum. I hate the way oil gums up the scabbard.
 
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